Aristotle was born around 384 BC in the ancient Greek kingdom of Macedonia, where his father was the royal doctor. He grew up to be arguably the most influential philosopher ever.

Athens, 2,400 years ago: it's a compact place, only about a quarter of a million people live here. There are fine baths, theatres, temples, shopping arcades and gymnasiums. It's warm for more than half the year.

It was a sunny Sunday afternoon; you were nine years old. Your parents wouldn’t let you have any ice cream if you didn’t do your maths homework. It was achingly unfair.

The challenge begins with how to pronounce his name: the first bit should sound like 'knee', the second like 'cha': 'kneecha'. Then we need to get past some of his extraordinarily provocative statements.

We generally think that philosophers should be proud of their big brains, and be fans of thinking, self-reflection and rational analysis. But there’s one philosopher with a refreshingly different take.

Today, like most days, you are anxious. It is there in the background, always present, sometimes more to the fore, sometimes less so, but never truly banished – at least not for longer than an evening.